Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (289 positive / 11 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing27% mention it
- Music & audio15% mention it
- Visuals & art9% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing27% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
93%
97 reviews
5-15h
98%
146 reviews
15-40h
98%
50 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 84 | 33 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 80 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 98% | 94 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 90 | 82 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 95% | 90 | 138 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 92.0, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 76,750 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 394 total reviews in window · weighted 190.3 up / 9.5 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (80)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 90
“If you’re in the market for a fast paced, action packed platformer then Katana Zero should be on your list. The gameplay is awesome, the music is great and I really like the art style! I highly recommend checking it out.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Katana ZERO, an amazing action game with a nice story and a great soundtrack, is a breath of fresh air in the indie scene.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“If you haven’t gleaned it already from reading up to this point, Katana Zero is unmistakably a game that you need to add to your Switch collection at earliest opportunity. The tough, hair-raising action sequences, gripping narrative, and impeccable sense of style elevate Katana Zero high above many of its peers, cementing it as a modern classic that sets new standards for what a side scrolling action game can be. This is the kind of game that you’ll blindly play through once and soon find yourself wishing you could have that first-time experience again; there’s nothing else quite like it on the eShop and we can’t recommend it enough.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While I can’t say I like that the game feels like it’s hiding its true conclusion behind future DLC, the package that we have right now is still damn fun to play through. If you’re not averse to some over-the-top violence, Katana Zero is definitely a game worth checking out.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Katana Zero is a fun game that tests your patience and rewards you with an interesting story. Sometimes I do run out of patience which then I step back and take a breather. I'll be honest, I rage-quitted a few times, but I came back with perseverance just to progress with the rich story it has to offer.”
read full review ↗ - 94
“Katana Zero was absolutely one of the best games of 2019 and I’d be shocked it if didn’t end up in my Top 10 (and those of many others as well) for the year...”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Completing each of the 11 missions only took a few hours but my playtime increased dramatically trying to earn each of the different endings. In so many aspects I was left wanting more. I want to play more as the secondary character, I want to understand the story better, and in so many cases I just want to know what the hell is going on. Katana Zero is such a wild drug-crazed adventure that I just can’t get enough of and I will continue to be getting my fix of it for weeks to come.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Katana Zero introduced a fun combat system, different levels, and an excellent design for them, as well as a variety of enemies and characters, unique and fantastic dialogues with more than one way to answer back, but eventually, the story's ending will not be satisfactory for the gamers because the game ended on a cliffhanger.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Katana Zero is a mesmerizing title. The narrative twists and turns in odd ways, and the payoff is both open and satisfying. The action is crisp if you can commit everything to memory well enough to create small, bloody masterpieces. With a familiar yet attractive presentation, Kata Zero feels right at home on the indie-loving machine that is the Nintendo Switch.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Katana Zero is simply a very easy recommendation. From the utterly perfect mechanics tweaked to an inch of their life to the visuals, the overarching story and inner conflict of your highly skilled protagonist and his external relationships with the world around him, counteracting with the hyper-violence he calls his work, the game finds a delicate balance between ridiculously stylish action and the more subtle downbeat moments that really bring out some wonderful character development.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Stylish and punishing, this is a darkly compelling treat.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Katana Zero's excellent writing, stylish and thoughtful combat, and gorgeous artwork make its unsatisfyingly short journey well worth taking.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
GameMAG
Nintendo Life
Gamer Escape
Kakuchopurei
Nindie Spotlight
NintendoWorldReport
ElderPlayers 
Worth Playing
FingerGuns
Eurogamer
GameSpot…and 68 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Katana ZERO DLC UpdateApr 14, 2025
- Speedrun Mode | Hard Mode | 20% OffMay 30, 2019significant · resets scoring window